• Baidu, a Chinese search engine and tech giant, has secured the first license to test driverless vehicles on the roads of Beijing.
• Baidu has been experimenting with self-driving technologies for the past five years and its Robotaxis have already captured 10% ride-hailing market in the suburbs of Beijing.
• The company is planning to add an additional 200 Robotaxis to its wide network across China over the coming year 2023.
Today, Chinese search engine and tech giant Baidu announced that it has secured the first license to test driverless vehicles on the roads of Beijing. For the past five years, Baidu has been experimenting with self-driving technologies, and its Robotaxis have already captured 10% of the ride-hailing market in the suburbs of Beijing. As a result, the company is planning to add an additional 200 Robotaxis to its wide network across China over the coming year 2023.
Baidu believes that its Robotaxis should eventually cost half of the cost incurred in a commercial car with a driver. Over the last few years, the company has been making strides in the autonomous vehicle industry, and with this new license, it can now officially begin testing its driverless cars on the roads of Beijing. Back in October 2020, Baidu began offering free robotaxi rides in Yizhuang, a suburb of Beijing, and by August 2022, its Robotaxis had already captured 10% of the ride-hailing market in the suburbs of the city.
The license from the Beijing government will allow Baidu to further expand its driverless car tests and make its services more widely available. The company is also planning to introduce new safety measures and protocols in order to ensure the safety of its passengers. In addition, Baidu is working with local authorities in order to develop new regulations and guidelines for Robotaxis, in order to ensure that the company is compliant with local laws.
Baidu’s new license is a major milestone for the autonomous vehicle industry in China, and it shows that the country is becoming increasingly open to the idea of driverless cars. With this new license, Baidu can now look to expand its driverless car testing and make its services more widely available to the public. In the coming years, it will be interesting to see how the company’s robotaxi services evolve and how they will help to shape the future of autonomous vehicles in China.